ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Immunotherapy is one of the treatment strategies for breast cancer, the most common cancer in women worldwide. In this approach, the patient's immune system is stimulated to attack microscopic tumors and control metastasis. Here, we used interferon γ-induced protein 10 (IP-10), which induces and strengthens antitumor immunity, as an immunotherapeutic agent. We employed Leishmania tarentolae, a nonpathogenic lizard parasite that lacks the ability to persist in mammalian macrophages, was used as a live delivery system for carrying the immunotherapeutic agent. It has been already shown that arginase activity, and consequently, polyamine production, are associated with tumor progression. METHODS: A live delivery system was constructed by stable transfection of pLEXSY plasmid containing the IP-10-enhanced green fluorescent protein (IP-10-egfp) fusion gene into L. tarentolae. Then, the presence of the IP-10-egfp gene and the accurate integration location into the parasite genome were confirmed. The therapeutic efficacy of IP-10 delivered via L. tarentolae and recombinant pcDNA-(IP-10-egfp) plasmid was compared by determining the arginase activity in a mouse 4T1 breast cancer model. RESULTS: The pcDNA-(IP-10-egfp) group showed a significant reduction in tumor weight and growth. Histological evaluation also revealed that only this group demonstrated inhibition of metastasis to the lung tissue. The arginase activity in the tissue of the pcDNA-(IP-10-egfp) mice significantly decreased in comparison with that in normal mice. No significant difference was observed in arginase activity in the sera of mice receiving other therapeutic strategies. CONCLUSION: Our data indicates that IP-10 immunotherapy is a promising strategy for breast cancer treatment, as shown in the 4T1-implanted BALB/c mouse model. However, the L. tarentolae-(IP-10-EGFP) live delivery system requires dose modifications to achieve efficacy in the applied regimen (six injections in 3 weeks). Our results indicate that the arginase assay could be a good biomarker to differentiate tumoral tissues from the normal ones.
Subject(s)
Animals , Female , Humans , Mice , Arginase , Breast Neoplasms , Chemokine CXCL10 , Genetic Therapy , Genome , Immune System , Immunotherapy , Interferons , Leishmania , Lizards , Lung , Macrophages , Neoplasm Metastasis , Parasites , Plasmids , Transfection , Tumor BurdenABSTRACT
Background: helicobacter pylori, which is associated with many upper gastrointestinal diseases, is found in half of the population of the world. Several special stains and immunohistochemistry stain for H. pylori are available. The need for and usefulness of immunohistochemical [IHC] technique has been debated for years. Toluidine blue is a simple stain for microbiological studies and is easily available in laboratories. Therefore, this study was conducted to compare hematoxylin and eosin [HandE], Giemsa and toluidine blue staining with immunehistochemistry for detection of H. pylori in patients with gastritis and also to correlate the results of these staining methods with pathological grading
Methods: we reviewed 54 consecutive gastric biopsy specimens stained by HandE and Giemsa as well as by toluidine blue and immunohistochemistry stains for H. pylori
Results: H. pylori was positively identified by IHC in 43 [79.63%] patients, while positive samples were found in 18 [33.33%], 24 [44.44%] and 33 [61.11%] patients using HandE, Giemsa and toluidine blue staining methods. Our results showed that classical histological staining methods are not sensitive enough to identify low numbers or coccoid forms of organism, while toluidine blue and immunohistochemistry play an important role in detection of H. pylori infection
Conclusion: toluidine blue has been proved to be much more reliable than HandE and Giemsa in detection of H. pylori. In addition, in post treatment biopsies and in biopsies with unexplained chronic active gastritis without histological evidence of H. pylori should have immunohistochemistry done to detect possible low density or coccoid form of organisms. Iran. Biomed. J. 17 [1]: 36-41, 2013
ABSTRACT
Chronic diarrhea is defined as a decrease in fecal consistency lasting for four or more weeks. Prevalence of this complication in the general population is 5%. Mast cells that play an important role in the regulation of gastrointestinal visceral sensitivity and vascular permeability may be involved in functional chronic diarrhea. In this study we tried to evaluate mast cells density in colonic mucosa of patients with chronic diarrhea. 50 patients with chronic diarrhea and 50 persons as control group were investigated. All specimens were immunohistochemically stained for mast cell tryptase [MCT] with monoclonal mouse anti-human MCT as well as toluidine blue. Mean number of mucosal mast cells were counted in 10 high power microscopic fields of patients and control groups. In patients group [age range, 15-78 years; 26 females], the number of mast cells per high power field in the immunohistochemistry staining was 21.3 +/- 4.8 compared to 14.2 +/- 3.4 in the control group [age range, 18-78 years; 24 females] [P < 0.001]. Also number of mast cells in toluidine blue staining was 10.3 +/- 3.6 per high power field in cases and 7.1 +/- 2.4 in the control group [P < 0.001]. Elevated number of colonic mast cells exist in patients with chronic diarrhea. Further research should be considered on application of these findings for new therapeutic opportunities.
ABSTRACT
We report the case of a 54-year-old Iranian man who presented with melena from three months prior to admission. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy and colonoscopy were normal. Double balloon enteroscopy showed a pedunculated tumor located in the jejunum. He underwent laparotomy and resection of a 9.5 cm tumor from the distal jejunum. Histopathologic evaluation confirmed the diagnosis of an inflammatory fibroid polyp [IFP].